Master of Social Work

The goals of the program are designed to provide a level of competence that includes quality leadership that is grounded in the historical roots of the profession. The needs of the community along with the purposes of the profession influence the four goals of the MSW program. These goals are:

• To produce competent practitioners within rural areas.

• To increase the number of practitioners with professional values and standards of cultural competence who are creative and ethically accountable in their practice with diverse rural populations.

• To apply critical knowledge that cultivates and synthesizes an understanding of the complex needs within the culture of rural communities, including research, training, continuing education, and other relevant projects.

• To impact the social, economic, and political environments of rural areas in order to empower constituents and influence social welfare policies, practices, and services.

Application to the MSW program requires two separate applications: (1) an application to the Department of Social Work (2) an application to the Western Kentucky University Graduate School. The application fee for domestic students applying until Spring 2024 is $65 and $95 for international students. Current fees are subject to change. Applicants must have official copies of undergraduate transcripts sent from ALL previous universities attended sent to the Graduate School. Only applications that have fulfilled all of the application requirements for both the MSW Program and the Graduate School will be considered complete.

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*The MSW program’s Admissions Committee independently reviews each application to determine admission. There may be personal or telephone interviews by the admissions committee, if necessary. Letters of determination will be emailed to each applicant upon decision. No admissions outcome information will be given over the telephone.

Program prerequisites include the following:

1. Undergraduate degree from an accredited university

2. Undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or above for Traditional Admissions. A GPA below 2.75 may be considered for alternate admission -OR-

3. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 GPA is required for Advanced Standing. Note: an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75 to  2.99 will be considered with an interview.

4. Liberal arts background – at least 30 hours in liberal arts coursework (social sciences, humanities, natural science, communication, mathematics, etc). Must include at least one course in sociology, psychology, OR anthropology AND at least one course in American government, political science, OR economics. All qualifying liberal arts courses must have been completed with a final grade of “C” or higher.